Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 27, 2017
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26
Before I started writing and speaking, I spent my days teaching art to elementary school kids in Houston, Texas. But then God changed the direction of my life. During my morning quiet time, and as I went about my days, the Holy Spirit began to speak in that “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Get ready. I am going to give you an opportunity to speak for me. I had no idea what I would possibly say but I wanted to be obedient, so I said, “Alright, Lord. I will do it if that is what you want.”
I had a deep confidence God was calling me to communicate for Him even though there wasn’t anything in my circumstances confirming that it wasn’t just my imagination. My talent hadn’t been honed; I didn’t have a journalism degree, and many people were—and are—more qualified.
After months of sensing this new calling as a burden, a series of circumstances only God could have arranged led me to a man who had a ministry for kids in Tennessee. He told me he was producing seminars for children across the country, and because I had experience with kids, he asked a question that confirmed God’s message to “Get Ready”: “Would you like to speak to the children’s mothers?”
God had confirmed His promise to me. It was the beginning of ministry. But not everyone was as thrilled as I was. A few people told me I was out of God’s will. Another even felt I would be sinning if I started writing or speaking.
All of this brings me to my main point: 1 Cor. 2:12 says:
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us”.
What God has given—and also His guidance—are spiritually discerned. This is why you can have deep confidence about a calling even though it makes no sense in the natural and others may not get it.
I Corinthians 2:14 says, “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” For this reason, some people may try to convince you to turn away from what God wants you to do. But, remember this: The person who is unspiritual will use his senses (his ears, eyes, and unspiritual mind) to try and “discern” what you should do. Reason makes us focus on circumstances, but spiritual discernment helps us see through circumstances.
As you are pursuing God’s plans for your life, I encourage you to pray for spiritual discernment. That—along with reading the Bible and prayer—will help you understand if the advice you are receiving from others should be heeded or ignored.
Spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5)
Prayer
Lord, thank you that you will give me the guidance I need to walk in the plans you have for me. Give me the courage to stay the course in the face of opposition.Application
Choose one phrase or scripture from today’s devotional that spoke to you, write it on a notecard, placing it where you can see it each day this week, and read it out loud.Related Reading
Jeremiah 29:12-13; 1 John 2:27; 1 John 4:6Post/Tweet today
God’s gifts and guidance are spiritually discerned. #WisdomHunters #SpirituallyDiscerningWorship Resource
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